ICYMI: New notable releases from Working Breed, Gator Shakes, and other Pittsburgh artists
Working Breed – Hieroglyphica Working Breed celebrated the release of Hieroglyphica, the art-rock group’s first full-length album, with a release party at Thunderbird Café & Music Hall on Saturday. Weaving together jazz, surf-rock, and even spoken word, Hieroglyphica features an electric mix of instrumentation and sound samples, like the trombone, trumpet, musical saw, ancient Chinese sheng, cicada…
“Do you know where your art comes from?” Pittsburgh’s community-supported art share is a different kind of CSA
Typically, a CSA is for produce. The acronym stands for “community-supported agriculture” and typically involves buying a share of a farm and in return, receiving boxes of produce throughout the season. But the concept exists in other contexts, too. CSA PGH switches the acronym to mean “community-supported art” and sells shares for art from a collection…
Wasi Mohamed has left the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh
In a town with very few Muslims and very few immigrants, Wasi Mohamed has elevated an organization that advocates for both into something special. His four years at the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh have been filled with not only large attendance for daily prayers, but also fierce advocacy for religious minorities, racial justice, immigrant rights,…
State Rep. Summer Lee wants county health department to halt a Braddock fracking well
Last week, state Rep. Summer Lee (D-Swissvale) sent a letter to Allegheny County Health Department saying the proposed natural-gas drilling well at the Edgar Thompson steel mill in Braddock would “endanger the public health and public safety” of much of her Mon Valley district. Lee has been an opponent of fracking and a critic of…
Spirit takes to the streets with bigger Summer Recess music and food festival
As returning college students flood Pittsburgh’s streets with moving carts, it seems that summer is winding down. However, Spirit is not quite ready to say goodbye to the season. On Sat., Aug. 24, the Lawrenceville bar and music venue will host its Summer Recess Outdoor Food and Music Festival. Spirit co-owner Leigh Yock describes Summer…
Employment service Dress For Success gets two mobile boutiques to increase reach in Southwest Pa.
For women looking for employment in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the two most common barriers they face are childcare and lack of access to reliable transportation. This week, the Pittsburgh nonprofit Dress for Success hopes to ease the latter issue with the launch of two mobile boutiques to bring its career services to women in remote locations…
Update: BBGuns announces indefinite hiatus
It seems like BBGuns was just starting to hit a stride. In April, the duo signed to local label Crafted Sounds. Then in June, their second album, Help Yourself, dropped, an LP that was “more fully baked, refreshing, and deeper than what they’ve done before,” according to City Paper’s Alex Gordon. But today on Facebook,…
Margaret N’Atwood team plans to dominate Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Battle of the Books
As a self-described “full-time book nerd,” Ehrrin Keenan makes sure to attend as many Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures reading events as possible. She remembers one such event featuring author Margaret Atwood with particular fondness, mostly because she was able to snag an odd souvenir. “As we’re walking through that hall, I heard her behind me, and I was like,…
The Pennsylvania State Police want you to give them your horse
I watch a decent amount of Family Feud. Steve Harvey plays well off the contestants, the production occasionally incorporates gross phrasing on the game board, and someone always gives a mind-numbingly dumb answer. Like the other night, when the category was “Something You Might Bum From Another Person,” and a Pennsylvania State Police officer slapped the…
As Planned Parenthood withdraws from Title X, the Western Pa. branch loses access to $400,000 of funds
On Mon., Aug. 19, Planned Parenthood officially withdrew from the federal family-planning program Title X. While the withdrawal is technically voluntary, Planned Parenthood representatives say they were forced out of the program due to new restrictions from the Trump Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services, which would prohibit beneficiaries of Title X from providing…
Federal Galley gets a kick of Hawaiian-Asian fusion with new restaurant concept
Shaka, a Hawaiian-fusion concept from Summer Le, has taken over the space recently vacated by Michigan & Trumbull Pizza in Federal Galley. The new kitchen offers a blend of adventurous and healthy eating. Poke, a classic Hawaiian raw-fish dish, is the star of the menu. The bowls feature raw tuna, salmon, shrimp, or tofu over…
Lynn Cullen Live – 8/20/19
Video Archive Lynn is being joined by Susan from Santa Fe this morning, and they are starting off by discussing Susan’s peripatetic lifestyle. They are also talking about political polls. Lynn wants the cable media to stop it’s fascination with polling. Both Lynn and Susan are saying to not follow the polls, use your heart…
Pirates owner Bob Nutting reportedly downplays, pulls an anti-LGBTQ editorial at Virginia paper he owns
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been longtime allies of the LGBTQ community, but a recent editorial reportedly shows Pirates owner in a less-than supportive position. Earlier this month, a small Virginia newspaper published an editorial criticizing Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northham for not wanting to share a stage with President Donald Trump. The Winchester Star, owned…
Pat Coyle, of IT IT and Soft Gondola, says goodbye to Pittsburgh with Iridescent Cue
After five very busy years living in Pittsburgh, Pat Coyle is moving on. The songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of bands like IT IT, Blød Maud, Soft Gondola, and more, is moving to California this fall to pursue his music career further and be closer to family (he was born in Oakland, and his sister recently moved…
John Medeski’s Mad Skillet comes to Roxian Theatre in September
Mad Skillet was born from a late-night show in New Orleans, La., during Jazz Fest 2015. It came out kicking and screaming, laughing and wailing, laying down a deep New Orleans groove steeped in jazz, blues, psychedelic rock, and R&B. Band members are lead keyboardist John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood, The Word), Grammy-nominated guitarist/bandleader…
Drinking sake with a state representative: My Waterworks bar crawl
It all started with my friend Chris saying he wanted to do a Pittsburgh Mills bar crawl, an endeavor that would involve a fair number of national chain restaurants with kitschy decor and fish bowl-sized drinks. During one of our many trips to Waterworks Shopping Plaza in Fox Chapel, a short distance from my house,…
Concert Announcements: A$AP Ferg, Turkuaz, and more
Stay up-to-date with your favorite artists and musicians coming to Pittsburgh. Each week, Pittsburgh City Paper will bring you the most recent concert announcements so you never miss a show. A$AP Ferg. Thu., Nov. 7. Stage AE, North Side. NEW SHOW!@Stage_AE: Thu November 07 – @ASAPferg – The Yedi Tour with special guests @murdabeatz_, @madeintyo!…
Lynn Cullen Live – 8/19/19
Video Archive Lynn is back from her week away celebrating her mother’s birthday. There was a lot that happened while she was away, and she’s attempting to talk about some of the things she missed. First up a look at some history including a 1980 debate between Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush focusing on…
Concert photos: Iron Maiden at PPG Paints Arena
Heavy metal fans filled PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night for Iron Maiden’s The Legacy of the Beast tour. The British band’s epic sold-out show featured lead singer Bruce Dickinson at the helm; an arena full of die-hard fans; and Eddie, the band’s longtime horrific mascot, seen on all of the band’s album covers. Here are…
CP staff and readers reveal their favorite secondhand finds for National Thrift Shop Day
National Thrift Shop Day (Aug. 17) is upon us, and to celebrate, Pittsburgh City Paper reached out on social media and to staff members in search of treasured finds from thrift stores, vintage shops, flea markets, yard sales, and other places selling secondhand goods. The responses ranged from the cute to the weird to the…
Pittsburgh New Works Festival begins on Aug. 18 with stage readings
The Mainstage productions of the Pittsburgh New Works Festival begins on Thu., Sept 6, but you don’t have to wait until then to see a curated selection of new and independent theater. On Sun., Aug. 18 and Sun., Aug. 25, PNWF will present LabWorks, which features looser stage readings of new plays and provides a…
Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery to close in October
Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery announced plans to permanently close in October 2019 after 22 years in Shadyside. In an official statement, gallery owner and director Amy Morgan said, “To the artists who have shown with me, the young people who have worked with me, and the collectors who found art to acquire in the gallery,…
Writers for Migrant Justice Pittsburgh joins nationwide protest reading event
Local Brazilian-American poet Kim Sousa says that she was already planning an all-Latinx benefit reading for the humanitarian crisis at the border when Writers for Migrant Justice came along. The event on Sept. 4 at White Whale Bookstore enlists Latinx writers for protest readings in cities across the country. “I, of course, immediately jumped on…
Which hot dog cooking method are you? Take our quiz to find out!
Summer might be winding down, but we’re still in the thick of hot dog season. Whether you grill, fry, or boil your hot dogs, it’s just as tasty … actually, scratch that. How you cook a hot dog says a lot about your personality. Screw astrology, it’s hot dog o’clock. /**/
Espresso over orange juice, and other unexpected treats at the new Ka-Fair Coffee and Cakery
Sujitra Taimmoungpan loves coffee. And Taimmoungpan, co-owner of Morningside’s newest coffee shop, Ka-Fair Coffee and Cakery, only wants to serve things that she loves. Taimmoungpan is from Thailand and moved to Pittsburgh a few years ago for school. She worked her way through coffee shops in the city, and soon it became her dream to…
After a one-year hiatus, Style Week Pittsburgh has a grand return
Today is a big day for Style Week Pittsburgh (SWP). First, after a one-year hiatus, the event returns for its sixth year tonight, with festivities beginning at 6 p.m. at the Indigo Hotel. Influencers in fashion, business, and the arts will be recognized with awards for their achievements, followed by a designer fashion show and…
Celebrate your local library by checking out one of these all-time greats
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is more than just books. It’s a community space where both kids and adults are granted free access to computers, educational events, newspapers and magazines, language-learning courses, DVDs, and more. But checking out books still remains one of the absolute best parts of having access to a library, and when…
Mike Doyle’s climate change town hall focused on electric cars and Paris Agreement
U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Forest Hills) hosted a town hall Wednesday evening amid an ongoing debate in the Democratic Party over the best way to combat climate change. Several hundred people came to the town hall at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland to hear Doyle and a group of panelists speak and answer…
Thursday was the last day of summer for most city pools; only six to remain open through Labor Day
Pittsburghers took advantage of Thursday’s warm weather to take one last swim in Bloomfield’s public swimming pool. It’s one of 11 city pools that are closing for the summer after today, leaving only six Citiparks pools open through Labor Day. Starting on Fri., Aug. 16, the following public pools will be the only ones still…
Local barbecue restaurant responds to racist interaction at Little Italy Days
A viral Facebook post recently led a local business to respond to an alleged interaction involving racist remarks that occurred yesterday while people were preparing for the Little Italy Days festival in Bloomfield. Juliette Elbaum posted on Facebook that she witnessed an employee at Bad Azz BBQ yell that he was a “big Trumper” to…
707 Penn Gallery’s Fine Print showcases the art — and diversity — of screen printing
It’s hard to talk about screen printing in Pittsburgh without mentioning Andy Warhol. The artform was the Pittsburgh-born artist’s favorite technique, seen in pieces like his iconic screen-printed portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Mao Zedong on display in the permanent collection of the North Side museum named for him. So, yes, you will see his…
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh voted to unionize – now what?
On Wed., Aug. 14, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh workers voted overwhelmingly to join the United Steelworkers (USW) union, with over 60 percent of combined staff – including librarians and library assistants, clerks, and IT professionals – casting favorable ballots. The results came just months after the CLP system launched their organizing campaign in June. “We…
Five takeaways from New York Times report on Cordelia Scaife May and the Colcom Foundation
The Scaife family’s legacy in Pittsburgh and the country is immense. After inheriting much of the Mellon family fortune, the Scaifes put their money to powerful uses. Not only did Richard Mellon Scaife own and publish the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for decades, but his family’s money was also given to several local philanthropic causes and many…
Sail into Little Italy Days with the sounds of yacht, smooth jazz, and fusion
Tonight, Little Italy Days kicks off in Bloomfield. To help get festival-goers in the mood, DJ Paul Seif and DJ Marie are ransacking their vinyl collections to play the sweet sounds of yacht rock, smooth jazz, and fusion at Station. “Expect a heavy helping of Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, and George Benson,” reads…
Learning about women’s mental health with Michelyn Hood’s NeighborHOOD Conversation series
The NeighborHOOD Conversation series is an ongoing event that addresses a topic either through experts in the relevant field or standout members of the community (“local heroes”). Having both formats allows attendees to see a subject both through a local lens and on a macro level from industry professionals. The next installment, A Real Conversation About…
Sun Fest returns to Wilkinsburg this weekend, but it will be the last (for now)
Unbeknownst to livefromthecity, the man behind the free Pittsburgh event Sun Fest, there’s a festival of the same name that’s been happening in West Palm Beach, Fla. since 1982. He recently realized the dilemma when someone contacted him online and mentioned being impressed that he had Florida’s largest waterfront music and art festival listed on his…
The Amazing Johnathan Documentary examines a magician at the end of his life — and the filmmaker documenting him
After the 2017 Fyre Festival debacle, it was only a matter of time before a documentary crew capitalized on the mayhem. When two documentaries on the subject — one released on Hulu and one released on Netflix — came out just days apart from each other, it caused a bit of a frenzy. Which was…
Pittsburgh Grooveline: Dance parties at Spirit, Belvederes Ultra-Dive, and more (Aug. 15-21)
Each week, Pittsburgh City Paper compiles a list of Pittsburgh dance parties for you and your crew to bust loose to the best bangers, EDM, pop hits, and more. (All events are 21 and over unless otherwise stated.) Sat., Aug. 17 It’s a Fête with Afroheat and Wavy Bunch Sound at Spirit. 9 p.m.-2 a.m.…
Free Will Astrology
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Moray eels have two sets of jaws. The front set does their chewing. The second set, normally located behind the first, can be launched forward to snag prey they want to eat. In invoking this aggressive strategy to serve as a metaphor for you in the coming weeks, I want to…
String Machine’s restrained, generous, painfully pretty Death of the Neon
There’s a chord that shows up a lot on String Machine’s new record, Death of the Neon. It’s a major-seventh, if you feel like looking it up. The “seventh” part means that it’s a regular major chord but the octave is knocked down a half step. It’s easy to play on the piano if you…
Concert photos: Mal Blum, Counterfeit Madison, and Calyx at Mr. Smalls Theatre
Mal Blum may have sounded a lot different during yesterday’s performance at Mr. Smalls Theatre than they did during their February 2018 stop in Pittsburgh. When Blum self-released their 2010 album, Every Time You Go Somewhere, it was acoustic-pop leaning, peppered with the harmonica and violin. Their 2016 release, You Look a Lot Like Me, moved…
Double Feature brings late-night comedy antics and dance fighting to Glitter Box Theater
Glitter Box Theater continues its mission of presenting underground, DIY plays with its new project Double Feature. Taking place Aug. 16 and Aug. 17, Double Feature will present two distinctly different shows from participants in the venue’s Ten Minute Play Festival, a thrice-yearly event open to anyone interested in writing, directing, or performing live theater. …
SKULL Fest celebrates 11th year of bringing punk and heavy metal to Pittsburgh
First-year fests are generally a gamble, requiring time, money, and planning for something that could easily fail if the logistics aren’t tuned just right. For SKULL Fest, which debuted at Belvedere’s Ultra-Dive in 2008, the first iteration proved that there was an appetite and passion for this kind of event, with two hundred people showing…
Pittsburgh’s Geese Police keep the birds from fowling up our waterfront
On a mild August morning, a silver van with a kayak strapped to the roof crept along the concrete walkway at the North Shore Riverfront Park. A passerby who stopped to take photos spotted the van and laughed when she saw the name emblazoned on its side. “Geese Police,” the woman said to her friend.…
How the manager of social engagement at CMOA gave away a wedding
Name: Laura Zorch McDermit, Lawrenceville Work: Manager of Social Engagement, Carnegie Museum of Art What does your title mean? Department of Fun. Department of One, Department of Fun. Basically, my position was created out of the desire to reach people who haven’t been here in a long time or never before. It provides more social…
Obscure no more: Homewood Cemetery welcomes public to learn about the city’s fascinating, but lesser-known historical figures
The more obscure history of the Homewood Cemetery would have stayed largely unknown if not for the advent of digitization. While the site boasts many notable resting places, including jazz musician Erroll Garner, photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris, and industrialists Andrew Mellon and Henry Clay Frick, it wasn’t until Newspapers.com and other online resources that a…
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love is a lopsided documentary about the relationship between Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen
Just before Leonard Cohen’s former girlfriend and muse Marianne Ihlen, subject of “So Long, Marianne,” died in 2016, Cohen sent her a letter. A paraphrased version was widely circulated and reprinted in articles, but the paraphrasing didn’t matter, because the real fascination was with the romantic relationship and friendship between Cohen and Ihlen, which lasted…
Conflict over Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days festival is coming to a head. Where does it go from here?
When Bloomfield resident Bruce Chan walked into Pleasure Bar on May 20, it looked like a typical Monday evening. A few old-timers were sitting at the bar watching TV and drinking beer. But when Chan walked into the back room, which was packed with neighborhood business owners, residents, and organizers, he knew he was in…
If you require an emotional connection to feel any sexual connection, you are not alone
The term “demisexual” was coined in 2006 on the forums of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), but it’s only been in the last year or so that I started to see it commonly embraced as an identity, especially on social media platforms and dating apps. In simple terms, demisexual is used to describe…
Clutter for a Cause offers convenient solutions to Pitt students looking to keep discarded items out of landfills
There’s no sight more emblematic of an Oakland summer than the massive piles of discarded couches, lamps, and desks lining the streets. Students, mostly from the University of Pittsburgh, who are moving, leaving for the summer, or leaving for good, abandon what they can’t or don’t want to carry. Many of the tossed items are…
Genesee Brewing Company found a way to make a hard seltzer that no one wants — remove the seltzer
“Have you had this before?” I asked the employee at Liberty Beer, gesturing to the 12-pack of Pura Still spiked water on the counter between us. “Is it good?” The cashier’s long pause told me everything. It was not good. Produced by New York-based Genesee Brewery, Pura Still, the nation’s first alcoholic still water,…
The myth of ‘We The People’
Anyone listening to the news, scrolling their timelines on social media, or just existing in the United States of America has heard or said something to the effect of: This is not America. I do not recognize this country. I can’t believe where we are as a country right now. I can only say, in…
Healthy in Homestead
The first thing Brett Gilliam looked for when he moved to Pittsburgh was a smoothie bar. He’d moved to Homestead from Washington D.C., and once he concluded that there were none to be found in his neighborhood, Gilliam decided to open one himself. Now, he’s six weeks into running his own pressed juice and smoothie…
Solidarity over competition: How Black femme musicians in Pittsburgh are finally getting the spotlight
Last Saturday, Mr. Smalls Theatre hosted the August iteration of the Pittsburgh’s Very Own concert series, and while it was typical of the earlier concerts in many respects — an all-local showcase of the city’s most exciting and promising talent — the lineup was atypical. For the first time at this series, and generally a…
Penn Hills resident pens ‘big city crime, small town justice’ novel set in the Laurel Highlands
Mary Sutton is never afraid to ask a state trooper or police officer for help, which is fortunate, because Sutton has plenty of questions for law enforcement agencies. The Penn Hills resident’s Laurel Highland Mystery series, written under the pen name Liz Milliron, features a Pennsylvania state trooper as one of its two protagonists. “When…
Lynn Cullen Live – 8/14/19
Video Archive Pittsburgh City Paper Editor-in-Chief Lisa Cunningham and Senior Writer Ryan Deto talk about stories from the most recent edition of City Paper, including controversy surrounding Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days, Black femmes fighting for equality in local music, protests at Beaver County’s cracker plant during Trump’s visit, favorite snack crackers, and much more! Josh,…
